


Vice Buddies

by Stegosaur



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: References to Depression, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 09:18:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15927428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stegosaur/pseuds/Stegosaur
Summary: Mikey and Raph blow off some steam after a particularly rough day.





	Vice Buddies

Their bodies aching from a beating during training, and their mental state stressed to the breaking point, Raphael and Michelangelo were literally at each other’s throats in the lair after a long, grueling day.Coming off a night patrol gone sour when Leo demanded an early retreat, Raphael was already on edge by the time training rolled around the next morning.Michelangelo, meanwhile, was pissed off from being fussed at - _yet again_ \- by Mr. Perfect during their Katas, as if Mikey’s superior flexibility and agility was something to be punished than encouraged.

“I still can’t believe he pulled out a fucking ruler.”Raphael grumbled, popping the cap off his second beer.He wanted to break Leo’s arm when their leader dared to actually measure Michelangelo’s angle during one particular strike in the Kata, and repeatedly corrected him until Michelangelo sucker punched the senior turtle in the face and stormed out of the dojo.It was rare he got angry at all, but to be violent?Raphael knew then and there that something was up.“What a prick.”

“Seriously.”Michelangelo took a drag on his cigarette, red hot embers webbing along the paper and consuming the material in flames.The turtle blew out a steady stream of the thick, acrid substance into the night sky, pulling it from his lips to tap off some ash.“He’s been a jerk lately, and I’ve had it.”He held up the cigarette box in his other hand and rattled it around, a lone stick remaining inside.“As has my smoking budget, it seems.Fuck.”Tucking it back under his belt, Michelangelo put the lit cig back in his lips and let it hang there, a gentle trickle of smoke accompanying his normal breathing.

Raphael swallowed some more beer, and swirled the remnants around the bottle with boredom.“For what it’s worth, you were doing just fine by my book.”Raph kicked his legs over the edge of the building and let his heels bounce against the brick, watching a karate school’s students through the plate glass windows below.“Especially compared to those kids.”The muscular turtle snorted, and Michelangelo joined in the ribbing.

“Dude, I think those kids might actually be better than Leo.”The joke made Raphael laugh.Nobody in New York ever bothered looking up, which meant the deviant duo could people watch in peace on nights like these.“See?That kid there, in the red hair?Five bucks says he could kick fearless’ ass.”

“I’ll take that bet.”Raphael finished his second beer with a series of gulps, then dropped the empty into the dumpster conveniently beneath them.There was a quiet sound of breaking glass, though nobody seemed to care in the bustling city.The night still young, he cracked open the third beer of the six pack.“I’ve been meaning to ask…”

“Yeah?”Michelangelo turned to his brother, exhaling another drag of smoke into the crisp night sky.

“Why do you write that on your smokes?”Raph gestured with the neck of his beer bottle toward Mikey’s cig, the word ‘Best’ all that remains of whatever had been scribbled on there before.“You put it on every single one, but I could never figure out what it meant.”

The smaller turtle put out the butt of the cigarette on the roof of the building, then flicked it into the streets below.“It’s from an anime I like.There’s this girl, Mamimi.She writes it on her smokes too.”He pulls out the box again and eyes that last, remaining cigarette, considering whether to enjoy it now or later.“Never knows best.It supposedly reflected her outlook on life.”Deciding against it, he tucked the box back into his belt and sighed.“That she’s given up on it, despite her young age.That to her, there is no future.”

Raphael reconsidered his third beer, and put it back in the case.“Is that what you think?”He could see a defeated smile on Michelangelo’s face, trying to mask his true feelings.

“If I did, I wouldn’t stick around.”He didn’t need to elaborate further.

The two of them hung around quietly, sorting out their own minds in the company of the other.Raphael watched the karate class downstairs come to an end, parents and kids running around the open space and preparing to leave.“I think…”. He trailed off, choosing his words carefully.“I think that as long as you have us, even just one of us…that there’s still a future out there for you.”He could hear his younger brother hum as he considered Raph’s words, then fall backwards onto the gravel roof with a crunch of rock against the roofing material.

“Maybe.”Michelangelo refused to commit beyond that.“At least I’ve got a vice buddy.”

“Vice buddy?”Michelangelo dug into his belt and held up his crumpled cigarette pack high above his chest.“Ahh.”Raphael raised his carton of beer in a show of camaraderiery, and chuckled again.“Leo would be pissed if he saw us right now.”

“Fuck Leo!”Michelangelo flipped off the night sky, making Raphael laugh that much more.“Vice buddies for life.”

“Vice buddies for life, Mikey.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the United States National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is reachable for free, 24/7, at 1-800-273-8255.


End file.
